#455 JUNE 2015 ... GOING FORTH

AMERICAN BYZANTINE CATHOLIC RESEARCH
CENTER

1334 RAMONA DRIVE, MOUNT SHASTA CA 96067

#455
JUNE 2015 … GOING FORTH

GOING FORTH

In recognizing that the world’s
population in 1963 was noted as 3,119,464,628 souls and in 50 years the world’s
population increased to 7,023,377,000, the potential increase can reach
15,812,911,000 human beings on the planet earth in the year 2065. With a
generation approximated at 25 years, our grandchildren could have their
offspring amongst that 15 billion number.

The Catholic worldwide priesthood
totaled 432,247 priests in 1963 and 414,313 priests in the year 2014; based on
the number of seminarians, the potential decrease can result in 397,123 priests
worldwide in 2065. This translates to 39,818 souls per priest. Today, 2015, we
have 16,952 souls per priest, worldwide.

In 1963, the USA had 776 faithful per
priest (43,851,538 faithful with 56,540 priests). In 2014, the USA had 1,780
faithful per priest (69,470,686 faithful with 39,022 priests). The world’s
faithful per priest in 2014 was 2,965 (1,228,621,000 faithful with 414,313
priests). Statistically, the above should ring the alarm bell, better still;
the Church bells should strike loud and clear.

Today, one of the most corrupt
nations (crimes) in the Americas is Honduras with 14,681 faithful per priest
(6,768,000 faithful with 461 priests). Honduras is a Catholic country with a
population of 80.7% Latin Catholics.

The statistics are the numbers forwarded
to Rome by the bishops of the world. The numbers are crunched in Rome and also
contained in the annual Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Almanac printed in
Huntington, Indiana. One would believe that the bishops of the world, our
Church Leaders, would be embarrassed for not placing the solution to the priest
shortage “on the table.” The world’s Catholic newspapers treat the subject in
secrecy. Truthfully, transparency is part of the solution. The faithful of the
world can solve the problem through education, the education of every soul on
earth. The missing element is the shortage of priests, sisters, brothers, and
seminarians. Statistically, we are declining rapidly and our bishops are fully
aware of the status quo. Our Church
Leaders, our bishops, are fully occupied in their daily trappings.

In nearly 2,000 years, the One Church
has but 17.5% of the world’s population and that number of 1,228,621,000
faithful is badly in need of priests, sisters, brothers, and seminarians. Our
Church Leaders hold onto their manmade mandated rule of celibacy that clearly
is opposite to Our Lord’s selection of mostly married men to be our Twelve
Apostles with Our Lord’s instructions “to go forth and make disciples of all
nations.”

Despite their own statistics, our
Latin bishops adhere fully to their self-made rule that results in the
aforementioned statistics. The papal-approved canon of the Eastern Catholics
for a married clergy has existed from our beginning and the Latin bishops of
the Americas, during the past century, persecuted the Eastern Catholics by
denying them of their papal-approved canon.

There is a Latin Catholic mentality
that has been developed during the last 961 years (1054-2015) when the Latin
Catholics decided to go alone instead of following Our Lord’s instructions to
all Twelve Apostles who found a multiplicity of Apostolic Particular Churches
with solidarity provided by Saint Peter and his successors. The result is one
Apostolic Particular Church in the West and 24 Apostolic Particular Churches in
the East.

Today, the world is in a pathetic
moral status that worsens every year because of our lack of Church Unity of all religions, yes, all religions. Pope Francis has appointed ten Postulators for the
Pontifical Council for Church Unity. One may think this is an impossible task;
it is not, the impossible task is that in 50 years the continuation of the
present statistical status may nearly be impossible to solve. Presently, there
are educational solutions but they require an oversupply of priests, sisters,
brothers, and seminarians. God Is With Us and we must believe that.

Our present procedure of continuing
is definitely the wrong path. The primary solutions rest with our bishops who
“choose” the “called.” Our Latin Catholic bishops need our support and the
support must be fully in the numerical growth of the religious. Our Latin bishops
must place the subject “on the table,” instead of adhering to a limiting
manmade mandated rule of their own.

Our faithful are growing impatient
and our church attendance is very low in too many parishes. We are wandering
like lost sheep because our earthly shepherds are asleep. We, the remaining faithful,
are obedient but badly in need of pastors, an overabundance of pastors. There
is an oversupply amongst us but we have been “called” to two vocations, the
priesthood and marriage. It was appropriate at the beginning of the One Church
and is appropriate today. God Is With Us!

In the USA, since 1963 our seminarians
have decreased from 47,574 to 5,046 in 2014 and the seminaries have decreased
from 561 to 159; the calculated future is most serious. On top of that, when
the Anglican Catholics returned as noted in Anglicanorum
coetibus, their future priests must be celibate. That action by our Latin
bishops, instead of seeking growth, “I dare you Protestants to reunite” is
implied. The Latin Catholic mentality of our Latin Catholic bishops indicates
that their rule is more important than the salvation of souls. What else?

Pope Francis, per your humble
request, we pray for you. Most importantly, we also pray for the Latin bishops
of the world to see the Light in the East